8 Best Crypto Exchanges in the USA (2026)

The best crypto exchanges in the US

Kraken is our top pick for most people in the US, especially if you want one account for crypto and real US stocks, with bank funding and published proof of reserves. After that, three things decide which exchange suits you: how easily you can move US dollars in and out, what you pay per trade, and which products are actually open to US residents. Buying and trading crypto is legal in the US, and exchanges must register with FinCEN, with some states such as New York adding their own licences.

Costs vary widely. Binance.US has very low spot rates, while Gemini charges steep default spot fees, and several exchanges hold back futures or staking from US customers. Some are not full crypto exchanges at all: Kalshi is built around prediction markets rather than buying coins, and Bitbase only lets you withdraw in crypto.

1. Kraken

KKraken9.3/10Read reviewVisit ↗

Kraken lets you hold crypto and real US stocks in one account, so you can move between Bitcoin and shares without opening a separate brokerage. Stock trades go through Kraken Securities, a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, and you get 679 coins on spot, with margin and futures on Kraken Pro. Staking isn't offered to US customers, so if earning yield on your coins matters, you'll need another platform for that.

Dollars move easily: deposit by ACH, bank transfer, card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and cash out by ACH or bank transfer. The catch is spot pricing on the default tier, 0.4% for makers and 0.8% for takers, which makes frequent small trades expensive. Futures cost far less at 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker.

You verify with a government ID and a face check before you can trade and withdraw without limits. Kraken launched in 2011, is based in San Francisco, USA, was co-founded by Jesse Powell and is run by CEO David Ripley. Its one blemish is a 2024 bug that let security firm CertiK pull $3 million from Kraken's treasury; the money came back and no customer assets were touched, but it shows flaws can exist, so turn on two-factor authentication and address whitelisting.

Key points

• Kraken's US stock trading runs through Kraken Securities, a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.
• You can deposit and withdraw US dollars by ACH or bank transfer.
• The main catch is the high default spot fee, so use limit orders to pay the lower maker rate.

2. Coinbase

CCoinbase7.7/10Read reviewVisit ↗

For a US beginner, Coinbase is the most familiar way in: a publicly listed US company, regulated in the US, with an app built for simple buys. USD balances carry FDIC insurance up to $250,000 and most customer crypto sits in cold storage. You can trade 402 coins, stake supported assets, use prediction markets and trade perpetual futures up to 10x leverage.

ACH is the way to fund and cash out without fees, and withdrawals also go by bank transfer or wire; card and PayPal deposits work too. Spot is where Coinbase gets expensive: on the entry tier, makers pay 0.4% and takers pay 0.6%, falling only as monthly volume grows. Futures are much cheaper at 0.05% for makers and takers.

Verification asks for photo ID, a live selfie and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Coinbase launched in 2012, works without a fixed headquarters and was co-founded by Brian Armstrong, who still runs it as CEO. The risk to watch is account takeover: over 6,000 customers had accounts compromised in 2021, so use strong two-factor authentication and address whitelisting.

Key points

• Coinbase is a publicly listed, US-regulated company, and USD balances have FDIC insurance up to $250,000.
• ACH lets you move dollars in and out without fees, with bank transfer and wire for withdrawals too.
• Default spot fees are among the highest here, so casual buyers pay a lot per trade.

3. Kalshi

KKalshi7.4/10Visit ↗

Kalshi works differently from every other exchange here: instead of a spot market for buying coins, it offers prediction markets and futures on 26 assets. That suits you if you want to trade on an outcome rather than own crypto. Since there's no spot market, you can't buy, hold or withdraw actual coins on Kalshi.

A demo mode lets you practise before risking real money, which helps if contracts like these are new to you. Its futures turned over $678,996,872 in a single day, so its markets see steady activity.

Identity verification is required, and it's worth reading Kalshi's fee and deposit pages before you fund an account. Kalshi launched in 2018, was co-founded by Tarek Mansour, Luana Lopes Lara and has Tarek Mansour as its chief executive. The main catch is that you never own the underlying crypto, so it can't replace an exchange for buying and storing Bitcoin.

Key points

• Kalshi offers prediction markets and futures on 26 assets, with no spot market.
• A demo mode lets you practise before trading with real money.
• The main catch is that you can't buy or withdraw coins, so you'll need a second exchange to own crypto.

4. Bitbase

BBitbase7/10Read reviewVisit ↗

Bitbase puts crypto and traditional markets on one trading screen, with 385 spot coins, perpetual futures on 753 assets and commodity-linked products. It is registered with FinCEN as a money services business, but that registration is not an approval of the exchange or its products, so treat it as a basic compliance step rather than a safety badge.

US dollars are the weak spot: you can buy with a card or through Google Pay and Apple Pay via third-party providers that charge relatively high fees, and withdrawals are crypto only. With no way to cash out to a US bank account, you'll need another exchange to turn coins back into dollars. Trading itself is cheap at 0.1% on spot for makers and takers, and 0.02% maker and 0.06% taker on futures.

KYC is optional, so you can sign up with an email and start trading. Bitbase dates from 2023 and has its headquarters in Panama City; it was set up by an anonymous team, so you can't check who stands behind the company holding your money. Its biggest risk is a short track record untested over several market cycles, which is a reason to keep only modest sums there.

Key points

• Bitbase is registered with FinCEN as a money services business, which is a registration, not an endorsement.
• You can buy by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, but withdrawals are crypto only.
• The main catch is a young platform run by an anonymous team, so larger balances carry more risk.

5. Binance.US

BBinance.US6.5/10Read reviewVisit ↗

Cheap spot trading is the reason to open Binance.US: takers pay 0.01% at the base tier, a small fraction of what the better-known US names charge. It is its own US company, licensed where it operates, and sticks to spot trading on 159 coins with staking on selected assets. There are no futures, margin or options, so it only fits if buying and selling coins outright is all you need.

You fund and cash out in dollars by ACH or wire. The weak point is those bank links: during its 2023 fight with the SEC, Binance.US lost banking partners and USD deposits and withdrawals were suspended for a long stretch, so your dollars could get stuck if it happens again. Paying fees in BNB takes a further 5% off eligible Advanced Trading fees.

Verification is mandatory and includes your Social Security number. Binance.US opened in 2019, operates out of Florida, United States and is led by CEO Stephen Gregory. Most of the SEC case was dismissed in 2025, but the episode showed how fast USD access can vanish, so don't keep more cash there than you could wait on.

Key points

• Binance.US is a separate US company, licensed where it operates, offering spot trading only.
• USD deposits and withdrawals run by ACH or wire when its banking links work normally.
• The main catch is its history of lost bank links, so avoid parking large dollar balances there.

6. Crypto.com

CCrypto.com7.4/10Read reviewVisit ↗

Crypto.com packs a lot into one app: 417 spot coins, futures on 409 assets up to 50x leverage, options on 2 coins and prediction markets. It publishes proof of reserves, so you can check that customer deposits are fully backed.

You can fund by bank transfer, card, Apple Pay or crypto, and withdraw to a bank account, card or Apple Pay. Without a paid Level Up subscription, spot costs 0.25% when you add liquidity and 0.5% when you take it, while futures cost 0.02% maker and 0.04% taker. Bank deposits to the Exchange need at least US$1,000, which makes small first deposits awkward.

Verification is required and can take longer than elsewhere. Crypto.com started in 2016 with its head office in Singapore, and co-founder Kris Marszalek still runs it as CEO. Its main risk is account security: attackers once bypassed two-factor authentication and took about $34 million in BTC and ETH from 483 customer accounts, so whitelist your withdrawal addresses.

Key points

• Crypto.com offers spot, futures, options and prediction markets from one account, with published proof of reserves.
• You can fund by bank transfer, card or Apple Pay and withdraw back to a bank account.
• Spot fees are high without a subscription, so occasional traders pay more per trade.

7. Gemini

GGemini7.2/10Read reviewVisit ↗

Regulation is Gemini's strongest card for US buyers: it is a New York trust company supervised by the New York Department of Financial Services. That suits you if compliance matters more to you than price. You can trade 75 coins on spot, stake supported assets and earn crypto rewards with its credit card, but derivatives trading isn't available in the US.

Funding is flexible: you can deposit by ACH, wire, card, PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay, and withdraw by bank transfer, card, PayPal and both of those phone wallets. Costs are the problem: a new ActiveTrader account pays 0.6% maker and 1.2% taker on spot, the highest here, and discounts need serious volume or a large balance. Stablecoin pairs are far cheaper, and the simple buy screen has its own fee schedule.

You verify with photo ID and proof of address. Gemini has been around since 2014, calls New York, USA home, and is still run by its founders, including co-founder Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. Its record isn't spotless: a 2022 data breach exposed 5.7 million customer records and a 2024 breach hit its ACH banking partner, so be wary of phishing emails that use leaked details.

Key points

• Gemini is a New York trust company regulated by the New York Department of Financial Services.
• You can move dollars by ACH or wire and cash out to a bank account.
• The main catch is the steep default spot fee, which makes small, frequent trades costly.

8. Bullish

BBullish7/10Visit ↗

Bullish is a narrow choice for traders who care most about busy markets in major coins. It lists 26 coins across 64 spot pairs and turned over $263,020,962 in spot in a single day, alongside futures on 8 assets. That much volume on a short list means you trade in active markets rather than thin ones.

What you don't get is breadth: no staking, lending, debit card or copy trading, and few coins beyond the majors. It is built for trading a handful of big markets, not for exploring altcoins or earning yield.

Before you deposit, check Bullish's fee schedule, USD funding options and verification steps, since those decide what using it costs you. Its founders, launch year and base are undisclosed, which leaves you less to go on when judging who stands behind the platform. The main catch is the short list and lack of extras, so it works as a second account rather than your only one.

Key points

• Bullish lists 26 spot coins and futures on 8 assets.
• Daily spot volume of $263,020,962 points to active markets in the coins it lists.
• The main catch is the short list and missing extras, so most people will need another exchange too.

How we ranked these exchanges

Our editorial team selected, tested and ranked the best crypto exchanges for traders in the US. We started with exchanges that accept US users, then weighed the whole package each one offers. The order is our editorial judgment of that package, while the CWR Score on each card rates the exchange on its own, so a lower-placed exchange can carry a higher score.

• Regulation and registration that covers US customers
• USD deposits and withdrawals by ACH, wire and other local methods
• Spot and futures trading fees
• Coins and products you can trade from the US
• Security record, including past breaches and proof of reserves

Is crypto trading legal in the US?

Buying, holding and trading crypto is legal in the US, and the IRS treats it as property for tax. There’s no single federal licence for crypto exchanges. A business that exchanges crypto for dollars or moves it for customers generally counts as a money transmitter and must register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as a money services business. States can add their own licences: in New York, a crypto business needs a BitLicense or a trust charter from the Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), while people who simply invest in crypto don’t.

FinCEN registration is not an approval. FinCEN says a listing in its registrant search isn’t a recommendation or a sign that a business is legitimate. Which crypto assets count as securities, and how trading platforms can register with the SEC, is still being worked out by the SEC’s Crypto Task Force. Stablecoins used for payments now have their own federal law, the GENIUS Act, signed on 18 July 2025.

How is crypto taxed in the US?

In the US, the IRS treats crypto as property, so selling it, swapping it for another crypto or spending it is a taxable disposal, while buying it with dollars isn’t. Your gain or loss is the difference between what you receive and what the crypto cost you. If you held it for one year or less, the gain is short-term and taxed at your ordinary income rates; after more than one year it’s long-term and taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your taxable income. If your capital losses are bigger than your gains, you can deduct up to $3,000 a year ($1,500 if married filing separately) from other income and carry the rest forward.

Staking and mining rewards are ordinary income, valued at their fair market value when you gain control of them. You report sales on Form 8949, and Form 1040 asks every filer whether they received or disposed of digital assets during the year. Brokers report gross proceeds on Form 1099-DA for sales from 1 January 2025 and cost basis from 1 January 2026. Federal returns are due on April 15.

This is a general overview, not tax advice. Tax rules change and depend on your situation, so check with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or a tax adviser before you file.

Official sources, checked September 2026: IRS: Digital assets; IRS: Frequently asked questions on virtual currency transactions; IRS: Topic 409, Capital gains and losses; IRS: Revenue Ruling 2023-14 on staking rewards.

How to buy crypto in the US

Getting Bitcoin or Ethereum in the US takes only a few steps once you’ve chosen where to trade.

1. Choose an exchange that accepts US customers. Exchanges must register with FinCEN as money services businesses, and some states add their own licence, such as New York’s BitLicense. A FinCEN listing is not an endorsement, so look at each exchange’s record too.
2. Open an account and verify your ID. Expect to upload photo ID and take a selfie; Coinbase and Binance.US also ask for your Social Security number.
3. Deposit US dollars. The common routes are ACH bank transfers and domestic wires sent over the Federal Reserve’s Fedwire Funds Service. Kraken, Coinbase and Gemini all accept ACH.
4. Buy on the spot market. Pick Bitcoin, Ethereum or another coin such as Solana or XRP. A limit order lets you pay the lower maker fee instead of the taker fee.
5. Secure your coins and keep records. Turn on two-factor authentication and address whitelisting. Keep a record of every trade, because the IRS treats crypto as property for tax.

Bottom line

Kraken suits most US traders, combining bank funding, a wide coin list and US stocks through a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, though limit orders help keep its spot costs down. Coinbase and Gemini are easy, well-regulated places to start if you accept higher spot fees, Binance.US is the cheap spot-only option if you can live with its banking history, and Crypto.com fits people who want many products in one app. Kalshi and Bullish work best as specialist second accounts, and Bitbase only makes sense if you’re happy to cash out through another exchange. Crypto is legal to buy and trade in the US, so choose on how you’ll move dollars and what you’ll pay per trade.